2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Madison, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Madison, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$116,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+16.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,428
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,860
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,568/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Madison, WI

COL 108.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,428
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,752
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,500
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,252
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $116,100
Federal Income Tax -$16,712
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,882
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $90,506
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $72,146

EPI family budgets put living costs 16.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Madison, WI, so $100,000 in Madison goes about as far as $116,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,375 a month in Madison and $1,530 in Austin, $1,860 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,428 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,568 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $58,080 in Madison and $56,950 in Austin.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Madison (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,375$1,530+$155+11.3%
Food & Groceries$387$334-$53-13.7%
Transportation$1,027$1,062+$35+3.4%
Healthcare$386$467+$81+21.0%
Other Necessities$455$585+$130+28.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,104$1,735-$369-17.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$155/mo (11.3%)
Madison: $1,375/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$252/mo (16.1%)
Madison: $1,565/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.86/hr (16.1%)
Madison: $23.91/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.51/hr (2.2%)
Madison: $23.27/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Madison Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,620$117,850-$8,770 (-6.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,630$134,120+$3,490 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,190$97,890-$3,300 (-3.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,990$102,390+$3,400 (+3.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$81,130$83,120+$1,990 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,900$176,990+$8,090 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$97,950$129,470+$31,520 (+32.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$146,380$151,760+$5,380 (+3.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,170$106,600+$9,430 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$148,970$167,180+$18,210 (+12.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$78,430$60,390-$18,040 (-23.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,270$164,920+$26,650 (+19.3%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Madison, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $116,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.1 in Madison, WI, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Madison, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Madison, WI
Relocation: Madison, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Madison, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Madison, WI?

About $116,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.1 in Madison, WI, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX cheaper than Madison, WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 16.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Madison, WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.